Refrigerator.



I. M. CUTLER.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, I917. 1,290,772. Patented Ja11.7,1919.

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ISABELLA M. CUTLER, E NORTH GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA.

REFRIGERATOR.

Application filed March 15,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Mrs. ISABELLA M. CUTLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Glendale, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to refrigerators and more particularly to attachments for iceboxes or refrigerators; and the objects of my invention are, to save ice or use less ice for refrigeration in ice-boxes; to provide an automatic cooling apparatus without having to use ice or any chemicals; to provide an automatic cooling apparatus which'will prevent ice, if such is placedinto the refrigerator, from rapid melting; to provide a cooling apparatus in form of hollow walls attachable to the-inside or to the outside of commonrefrigerators; to provide an automatic cooling apparatus which is operated by taking water from any faucet in the house in which such refrigerator is in use; the invention consisting in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1' is a vertical cross-section of a portion of my device.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the water circulating compartment of my device.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a thermostat for procuring an automatic circulating of the water in mydevice.-

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of thethermostat connected at one end to the operating lever of the auxiliary operating'valve of the device, the thermostat 'being connected or held at the other end to the casing or any other suitable place near the casing. Fig.5 is a vertical cross sectional view of a refrigerator with a numberof my devices infplace within the refrigerator.

Fig. 6 is'a front elevation of a refrigerator with a number of my devices applied to the outside.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a casing which is a part ofmy device attachable to the sides of a refrigerator, inside or outside of the refrigerator, the flanges 2 being provided for attaching such casing of my device to the walls of the refrigerator.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1919.

1917. Serial No. 155,075.

Eachof these casings is subdivided bya partition-3, forming the water circulating compartment 4L and the air compartment 5. A connection 6 is provided to be attached tothe water supply pipe in a building. A suitable number of baflie-plates 7 are disposed in the upper part of the water circulating compartment to deflect and direct the course of the water for a suitable circulation, and, secured to the outlet opening 8 in the lowermost baffle-plate, is a nozzle 9 discharging the water into the buckets 10 of a small water wheel 11 mounted on a shaft 12 within the lower part of the water circulating compartment, thereby setting this wheel in motion. An outlet connection 13 is provided at a suitable place at the opposite side of the water compartment.

This outlet connection is provided to be attached to the water pipe in a building before any of the valves and faucets in the building, so as to cause the water used in the house and taken. from the several valves and faucets in the house to pass through the water circulating compartment in eachof the casings in my device, thus causing an automatic circulating of'the cool water from the main water supply pipe inthe house through my device,whenever any of the valves and faucets in the building are opened.

.In. case-that the house is closed during the day time or for any length of time during which no water is used and naturally no water caused to circulate through my device, I provide a thermostat at a suitable lace inthe outlet pipe, in the drawing, a -connection 14 being shown having a pipe connection 15 to which a valve16 is secured. A turning stem 17 is mounted in the valve 16', being provided with an operating lever 18 for turning the stem. A port 19 in the stem is provided to come intoalinement with the conduit 20 in the pipe 15 by the proper turn on thelever. '18. Connected-to the lever 18 is a thermostat by a suitable connection 21, allowing the turning of the lever. At the other end, the thermostat is provided with a plate 22 or other suitable-connections to be and becoming shorter (in the outside, normally expanding and contracting before the metal layers, will naturally cause the opening of the arch-shaped thermostat while the rubber is contracting proportion) than the metal layers, and, an increasing of the heat in the refrigerator, causing the expansion of the layers, will naturally bring the ends of the thermostat closer as the rubber expands more than the metal. Having this thermostat connected to the lever 18, it will be understood that the valve 16 can be opened automatically by the increasing heat in the refrigerator. The end26 of the valve 16 is connected to the drain or sewer in a building, allowing the water to flow OE and allowing fresh cool water to pass through the water compartment in my device. The end 27 of the outlet pipe 13 is connected to the water pipe in the building beforethe valves and faucets in the building.

In Fig. 41, the arch-shaped thermostat is illustrated in contracted position as indicated at 33, bringing the lever 18 to the position indicated at 34, which would naturally have to be the open position of the valve 16 after the description above. The expanded position of the thermostat indicated at brings the lever 18 to the position indicated at 36, which is naturally the closed position of the valve 16 as will be under stood from the description above. The thermostat arranged in this manner natu- V rally controls the flow of water through any 7 port 19 in'the valve 16 whenever number, of my devices disposed in or at a suitable place or position to a refrigerator by causing the water to pass through the the thermostat is influenced in the manner described above by the temperaturein or near the refrigerator, as will easily be understood. In the air compartment 5 of my device, I mount a fan 28, in the drawing the fan being shown mounted directly on the shaft 12 of thewater Wheel, but it will easily be understood that a'chain or gear connection can be provided to cause the fan 'to revolve more rapidly than the water wheel. 'An gpening 29 is provided in the casing allowmg air to pass through the fan into the air compartment 5 promoting the cooling in my dev1ce. Another means for promoting the cooling is a small overflow pipe 31 allowing but a dripping of water from the water compartment into the air compartment on to a burlap or copper screen 32 disposed at a suitable place above the fan.

The passing of cool water through the compartment 4 naturally already produces a'coollng effect to a certain extent, this is increased by the air circulation through the compartment 5, the 'air being drawn into the compartment 5 through the opening 29 through the fan 28 and out of the compart ment through the openings 30. To furthermore increase the cooling effect, thesmall overflow pipe 31 is provided, allowing water to escape out of the water circulating compartment 4 for dripping-clown to the burlap or screen 32 against the draft and air. circulation through the compartment 5, the air passing through the dampness produced by the leaking of water from the compartment 4: into-the compartment 5 the cooling effect considerably.

From the descriptionabove it will'be un derstood that the device consists mainly of a casing having a water circulating com- *partmentand also an air circulating compartment, the circulation in either compartment being produced automatically by compelling water to pass through the device whenever any water is being used or taken out of any valve or faucet in a house or any place where this device is in operation, or, the circulation being produced automatically by the operation of the thermostat described-above. f Y

It will also be understood from the above description that devices of this kind,-otherwise called casings, can be disposed at any place where a cooling is desired, inside of a refrigerator to the the top 39 and the bottom 40 as illustrated in Fig. 5, or outside of a refrigerator to the sides ll'the top 42 and the door 43 as illustrated in 'Fig. 6. When securing or applying a casing to the door of a refriger ator, any pipes or other connections with the casing have, of course, to be provided with a union joint indicated at 4:4, as will easilybe understood, to allow the opening or turning of the door on the hinges. The casing are secured to any place'where' they are desired by any suitable means, nails, screws, or any other suitable means as indicated at 45, such means will be known to any person withou t being illustrated.

I claim: Y 7

1. In a refrigerator a casing having a partition forming a watercirculating compartment and an air circulating compartment, a suitable number of staggered baflieplates being provided in the water circulating compartment extending from one side of the casing, one beyond the other to,- ward the opposite side, a suitable space be: tween the innermost baffle-plate and such opposite side of thecasing for a wheel compartment, a water wheel being disposediin the wheel compartment, a nozzle being provided onthe innermost baifle-plate pointing toward the water wheel for directing the water pasing through the water circulating compartment between the several bafile- -plates toward; the wheel forturning "the wheel, and a fan loeing disposed in the air circulating compartment 1 operatively connected to the water wheel.)

.2. In' a refrigerator of the class described increasing 7 a casing having a Water circulating compartment and an air circulating compartment, a water wheel being disposed in the water circulating compartment, a fan being disposed in the air circulating compartment operatively connected to the water wheel, and water overflowing means provided between the Water compartment and the air compartment in the path of the air draft through the air circulating compartment.

3. In a refrigerator of the class described having water and air circulating compartments, a water overflowing means communicating with the water circulating compartment terminating within the air circulating compartment, and screening means disposed in the air circulating below the water overflowing means in the path of the air circulation through the air circulating compartment.

4. In a refrigerating device of the classdescribed the combination of a water overflowing means and a screen disposed so as to allow the water from the overflowing means to drip on to the screen in the path of the air circulation in such device.

5. In a refrigerator of the class described a casing having a water circulating compartment and an air circulating compartment, a water wheel being disposed in the water circulating compartment, a fan being disposed in the air circulating compartment operatively connected to the and a {thermostat connected to the water supply for automatically controlling the flow of water through the device.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in'the presence of two witnesses.

MRS. ISABELLA M. CUTLER. Witnesses WILLIAM C. CUTLER, J F. LILLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 6."

water wheel, 

